


Reunion

by 1f_this_be_madness



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, MCU alterations, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-06 22:43:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4239417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1f_this_be_madness/pseuds/1f_this_be_madness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been a few weeks since the Avengers first assembled and Captain America was selected to lead them in the midst of battle. Steve Rogers is still getting used to modern conveniences, such as the Internet and digital payment for subway trains. Steve hasn't stopped thinking about Peggy, hoping that she's still alive; and he decides to enlist Tony Stark's aid in finding her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunion

A few weeks after Captain America was selected to lead The Avengers, Steve Rogers caught Tony Stark leaving his lab.

“Mr. Stark? Do you have a moment?” he called. Stark turned and folded his arms.

“Ah, it’s our inspiring leader, Captain America. What can I do for you?” he asked sardonically.

“I need to connect to the Interweb and locate someone. Could you do that for me?”

“Of COURSE! Anything for you, boss.” Tony said sweetly, but made no move to return to his laboratory. Steve watched him for a moment, and replied,

“I’m detecting a hint of hostility from you, Tony. Is this because of your father—?” Tony loudly interrupted.

“Just a hint of hostility, huh? I really need to work on my delivery. And no, why would I care that you knew my own father better than I did? That he spent decades searching for you while sending his own son off to every boarding school in America? Or the fact that a guy who looks at least ten years younger than me and has no experience with today’s issues—it’s the INTERNET, by the way—has been hand-picked by Nick Fury to lead The Avengers…why should any of that piss me off?” As Tony took a large breath of air, he saw Steve visibly deflate in response to his irate outburst.

“I’m sorry, Tony. Truly I am. I have no idea what it must have been like for you growing up, unable to comprehend what it was like for your father…and you’re right, it does seem unfair for me to seize control after being in suspended animation for nearly 70 years.” Overwhelmed, the Captain took a breath before continuing. “I have no idea why Mr. Fury chose me for the job, but I wouldn’t ask you to help me unless it was really important.” He looked at Tony sadly, and despite himself the younger Stark softened.

“All right,” he said gruffly, moving to open his laboratory. “Tell me what you need.” Cap followed Iron Man into a cavernous shadowy room.

“Well, there’s this girl I knew during the war.” Tony clapped for the lights and walked to a large comfortable chair situated in front of some sort of console. He brought up a computer window and began typing on his virtual keyboard.

“Which war?” Tony asked the Captain. “Jarvis, I need a name-finding database.” Steve looked at Tony incredulously. Who was he talking to, and how could he have forgotten which war?

“World War II, of course!”

“Right.” Tony nodded and glanced at Cap. “I forgot just how ancient you are.” He typed some more and asked, “All right, Jarvis—is the program ready?” A male British voice answered,

“Primed and fully operational, sir.”

“Cheerio! Let’s get cracking, shall we?” Stark jauntily asked. Steve, suddenly nervous, gulped and nodded.

As Stark fired up his program, Jarvis’ voice spoke again.

“Sir, I would ask that you refrain from imitating my accent. It makes you seem ignorant.” Tony sniffed and Steve smiled.

“Thanks, Jarvis, old chap! I’ll keep that in mind. Right-o, Captain, what’s her name?” he added, becoming businesslike. “Her full name.”

“Agent Margaret ‘Peggy’ Carter.”

“Occupation?”

“She was a member of the team Dr. Erskine created that was meant to make and train super soldiers. All they got was me.”

“Let down a bit, weren’t they?” Tony joked, expecting the Captain to smile. For a 90-year-old guy he didn’t have a bad sense of humor, the few times he showed it. However, Steve looked at Tony solemnly and softly said,

“You’re right; that’s how I felt as well. Even though I was ten times better than every other soldier I couldn’t save the lives of Dr. Erskine and my best pal Bucky.” Steve smiled wanly. “‘What good am I,’ I kept thinking, ‘if I can’t even protect the people I care about?’ You see?” he chuckled humorlessly. “Even the great Captain America has doubts. I’m not perfect—not at all.” Sighing, Cap sank into a chair and put his face in his hands.

Tony Stark was nonplussed; completely at a loss. For weeks he’d thought of Captain America as nothing more than a pretty-boy figurehead in tights. Now he didn’t know what to think or how to respond.

“Well, hey…uh Captain,” Tony cleared his throat. “How about when this girlfriend-hunting business is over, you and me go get drunk somewhere?” Steve was surprised and touched.

“Thanks, that’s nice of you, Iron Man. There’s just one problem—I can’t get drunk.” Tony Stark was utterly astonished.

“Wow. They must have had REAALLY weak liquor back in the forties…or you just went to all the wrong bars.” Shaking his head, Tony continued with the database. “Place of birth?”

“England…do you need more specifics?”

“No. Jarvis has it under control. Right, Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir. It may take some time, but I will locate the Captain’s lady friend.” Tony nodded and spun his chair around to face Cap.

“Ready for a night on the town? Remember, this isn’t 1940 anymore.” Steve nodded gravely.

“Believe me, I know.”

***

Hours later, the Captain carried an unconscious Iron Man back to Stark’s house. Steve rang the bell, and moments later Tony’s devoted secretary (and girlfriend) Pepper Potts answered the door.

“Hello, Steve. This is an odd time for you to call on Tony, but I’m afraid you’ve missed him—he left me a note saying that he was going drinking.” Pepper rolled her eyes and shook her head. Just then, Tony let out an inarticulate groan and she gasped. “Oh my God, that’s Tony! What happened? Is he all right?”

“He’s fine,” Steve assured her, heaving Stark easily over the threshold. “He just can’t hold more than a bottle and a half of expensive liquor.” After gently laying Tony on the couch, Steve turned to Pepper and asked, “Do you have any tomato juice and cold wash rags, Pepper? He could use them.”

“Of course,” she replied, and headed off to the kitchen, puzzled. Just two days before, Tony had been raging left and right about Captain America, and now he was DRINKING with him! That was Tony’s highest form of praise. She’d have to ask him about it later. 

On her return, Pepper began to bathe Tony’s face with cold water as Steve quietly stood by. As he watched her careful deft movements, a spasm of pain crossed Steve’s face and a lump came to his throat. He just HAD to find Peggy and make up that dance! Then, Mr. Stark grunted and opened his eyes blearily.

“Hey Captain,” he muttered, slowly sitting up.

“Yes, Heart of Steel?” Cap replied.

“You really DON’T get drunk,” Tony said in a tone of awe. Steve snorted.

“Of course not! Why would I lie to someone whose respect I would like to gain?” Tony gulped some tomato juice before replying,

“Well, any guy that can down that much wine in an hour is okay by me.” He turned to his secretary. “Hey, Pepper. Thanks for letting us in.” She stood up and shook her head, drying her hands on a rag.

“You’re lucky I’m so nice. Good night, boys. Steve, thank you for bringing him home.” Pepper turned and headed to her room. Iron Man watched her go before turning back to the Captain.

“All right, genius. Out with it. How’d you do it? Pour the bottles in the plants?” Steve shook his head and sighed.

“Look, Tony. I told you: when Dr. Erskine altered me, his serum altered my cells and made my metabolism faster than that of a normal person. That’s why I cannot get drunk. Now would it be rude of us to wake Jarvis and check on his progress?” Tony stood up and grumbled,

“I need some of your serum.” He led Cap down the spiral staircase to his workroom. “And no, Jarvis won’t mind being woken up; he’s a computer. Oh, right, you didn’t have those either. What DID you do in the forties?”

“We listened to the radio, and went to dance parties and bars,” Steve replied defensively. “And we should be grateful to Jarvis for the hard work he’s doing for us.” Impatient, he passed Tony on the stairs. Stark called after him,

“I don’t like being lectured by 90-year-old pretty boys! Come to think of it, I don’t like being lectured at all. Hello, Jarvis. Wakey wakey,” Tony said after entering his lab and turning on the lights.

“Good evening, sir. You look terrible.” The computer commented as Stark sat in front of the monitor next to a lamp.

“And YOU look like an electronic landfill,” Tony shot back. “What have you got for me?”

“Oooh, testy, testy. Did he drink a lot of whiskey?” Jarvis asked Cap. Steve nodded.

“Yes, he was trying to outdo me.” Tony sputtered,

“Well, it’s only natural! Jarvis, this man can’t get drunk!”

“Of course he can’t, sir. One of the effects of Dr. Erskine’s serum was an extremely fast metabolism.”

“How do you know that?!”

“I read his file. Quite impressive, by the way. Everyone knows this except you, sir. I suggest you brush up on your reading.” Steve snickered.

“Ha, ha, very funny, Jarvis. Now what do you have for us?”

“Well, Agent Carter has a very wide-ranging resume, and has been particularly hard to track. She apparently traveled extensively around the globe for nearly forty years, on ‘Classified’ missions.” Steve smiled and Tony scowled.

“Hack into them, Jarvis! That’s what I pay you for!!!”

“Actually, sir, I don’t get paid at all. A new hard drive would…”

“JARVIS!!! Just do it, okay? See you in the morning.” With that, Iron Man took his leave. After the door slid shut, it was quiet. Then,

“Deplorable manners,” Jarvis tsked. “Are you still here, Captain America?”

“Yes, sir. Call me Steve,” the Captain said as he took Tony’s vacated seat. Jarvis quickly replied,

“Right, Steve. And call me Jarvis. Mr. Stark wouldn’t like anyone calling ME sir.” Steve chuckled.

“No, I imagine he wouldn’t. Mr. Stark has…problems with authority, I’ve noticed.”

“Yes, that he does, Steve. I wanted to show you a photograph that I have discovered. I thought that you’d like to see it. Is this Peggy?” Suddenly the light bloomed and brightened, and on the screen Peggy’s face appeared before him. The same dark, beautiful, unfathomable eyes; that perfectly curled hair and bright red lipstick; all brought back memories. Steve blinked his eyes rapidly and cleared his throat. 

“That’s her, Jarvis. That’s Peggy.” Suddenly there was a quiet whir and beep near Steve’s midriff. He noticed a sheet of paper protruding from the console. Jarvis said,

“I took the liberty of creating a printout for you, Steve. That’s it, right next to you.” After Steve plucked the paper from the printer, Jarvis added, “I will try my utmost to locate her phone number or address for you.”

“Thanks, Jarvis. It means a lot.”

“I understand. Good night, Steve.”

“Good night, Jarvis.” Steve stood and slipped quietly upstairs and outside. After closing the door gently, he held up Peggy’s picture and gazed at it. “I’ll find you, Peggy,” he whispered fiercely, “And somehow I’ll make up that dance.”

***

The next day found Steve in the gym in the underground portion of SHIELD headquarters, jabbing the hanging punching bag. Also in the gym were the Black Widow and Thor. Much of the equipment in the gym had been inadvertently destroyed by Thor’s hammer. Therefore, he began lifting weights. The Black Widow was busy fighting test dummies because the SHIELD agents had begun running away in terror whenever she asked to practice her moves on them.

Cap took out his printout of Peggy every so often and stared at it, wondering what she looked like now and how much she had changed—if she was still alive. What could he possibly say when he saw her? Steve’s musings were interrupted when Thor shouted,

“By the Flaming Gates of Asgard!” and hurled his dumbbell across the room in Cap’s direction. Luckily Steve had begun carrying his mighty shield, if only to avoid Iron Man’s plasma bolts, which were shot in fits of rage. His arm shot out and the weight ricocheted off of his shield and into the wall. As Thor lumbered over to retrieve it, Steve resumed his study of Peggy. Coming over, Thor rumbled,

“I am sorry, Steve Rogers. You did your ancestors proud by standing tall and refusing to flinch.” Steve nodded and smiled slightly, and Thor turned to walk away. Just then he caught sight of the picture of Peggy. Steve expected the god to laugh, but to his surprise Thor said,

“That is your female companion, is it not?”

“Yes it is. Her name is Peggy.”

“Mine’s is Jane Foster. She is a scientist in this realm. What is this object you possess?” he asked, pointing to the picture.

“It’s a picture, an image of how she looked the last time I saw her.” While saying this, Steve marveled that he could teach someone in this day and age. Thor grunted and nodded.

“Ah. My image of Jane is here,” he said, tapping the side of his head. “I live for the day when I will see her again. I hope you will soon see your Peggy.” He slapped Cap on the shoulder and returned to weight lifting. Massaging his shoulder and smiling slightly, Steve murmured,

“I hope so, too.” Just as he resumed punching, Iron Man flew cockily into the room.

“Nice guns,” he said to Thor with a wink. To the Black Widow he called, “Aloha, Natasha! That’s Hawaiian for both hello and goodbye, since you only know Latin. Hey, Lover Boy! Jarvis found your lady’s address.” Zooming over to Steve, Tony added, “He told me to get this to you without delay, so I waited an hour. Here.” Captain took the paper gingerly, as if expecting it to explode.

“Thanks, Tony. I appreciate this more than you know. I’ll see you later.” Slipping his shield onto his back, Steve headed to the door. As he left, he heard Natasha say,

“That was an unusually nice thing you just did, Tony. I must say that I’m impressed.”

“Well, don’t expect it too often, sweetheart. I wouldn’t want to ruin my rep.” Shaking his head, Steve smiled.

***

After putting on a new suit and stowing his shield, Steve headed outside to find a way to get to Peggy’s house. Looking at her address gave him a jolt—she was living on the outskirts of Brooklyn. It could have been a coincidence, but he remembered telling her that he was just a kid from Brooklyn. She must have hoped that he would return home. After nearly getting lost several times in the subway, Steve finally hailed a cab and gave the name of Peggy’s street. When tipping the cabby, Steve was glad that paper money had not changed all that much since the 40’s.

Taking a deep breath and straightening his tie, he walked up to Peggy’s brownstone and rang the bell. The door was opened by a young girl, who looked at him quizzically before saying,

“Can I help you with something?”

“Yes, if it isn’t too much trouble. Is Peggy Carter in?” when the girl nodded and explained that she was Ms. Carter’s aide, Steve said, “Tell her an old friend is waiting outside.” The girl turned and called,  
“Ms. Carter! There’s a cute guy out here who says he knows you!” 

“Thank you, Josephine,” replied a businesslike British voice. Josephine quietly took her leave. Footsteps came to the door and a small woman with curly white hair and bright red lipstick stepped into view. Looking at Steve, she froze as if she’d seen a ghost. He greeted her cautiously.

“Hi Peggy, it’s me, Steve.” At the sound of his voice, Peggy put her hands on her hips and exclaimed,

“Steve Rogers, you’re late.” Her greeting was not what Steve had expected, and he laughed.

“Sorry. My plane sank and I was frozen in suspended animation for these past decades.” Peggy sighed and shook her head.

“It’s always something with you, isn’t it, Captain? Well, come in.” As he stepped over the threshold, Steve marveled at how little Peggy had changed. Though her pace was slower, she still had the self-assured stride he remembered. Peggy led him into the parlor, and he saw her old pistol lying on the mantelpiece. She followed his gaze and smiled. “I keep it loaded and fully functional, so don’t get any bright ideas. I see you don’t have your shield with you this time. Are you still working as Captain America?”

“Yes, I am. Though it’s not with the Army; I am in a specialized government branch called SHIELD. We work on, um, saving the world.” It sounded ridiculous when he said it, but Peggy didn’t bat an eye.

“When I told you that you were meant for more than selling war bonds, this was the type of work I had in mind. Next to that, my doings aren’t nearly as exciting.” She sat down, seeming rueful.

“I found out that you’ve been working on ‘Classified’ missions. Have you done anything else for the Army?” Steve asked eagerly. Peggy looked at him sternly.

“There is a good reason that those missions were ‘Classified’, Steve. How did you locate my address?” she asked, leaning forward in interest. “I did not live here during the war.”

“I have an inside man at Stark Enterprises. He used a computer database to find you. Marvelous inventions, computers. If the Armed Forces had them during the war it would have been so much easier—oh, the war! The Allies won, didn’t they?” Peggy sniffed.

“Of course, Steve. Do you honestly think America would be like this if we’d lost?” Steve smiled.

“You’re right. It really is amazing, Peggy.” His tone grew subdued. “But I don’t truly belong here; not like this.” He gestured at himself. “I should have grown old, like you. I mean…not that you’re OLD, you still look great! I mean…” he trailed off in embarrassment.

“I see you still have no idea how to speak to women.” Peggy laughed, and then grew quiet. Her face became troubled.

“What’s wrong, Peggy?” Steve asked, moving to the couch where she was sitting and taking her hand in his. She did not withdraw it, but turned her face away and drew a shaky breath.

“This could never work, Steve. It’s wonderful to see you again; but so much has changed in these intervening years. I never stopped loving you or missing you; I kept hoping and praying that, given the exquisite nature of Dr. Erskine’s serum, you were somehow still alive. THIS, however, is not at all what I expected; not even in my wildest dreams! You’re right, I have grown old, and you still look as you did when you jumped onto the Red Skull’s plane that day in 1944. Oh, Steve,” she turned to him, her face full of sadness, “Why did you come to see me? Today, after all this time? I’m afraid that I’m not the same woman you knew nearly 70 years ago.”

“Yes, you are,” Steve told her gently, taking her face in his other hand. “You are just as brave, clever, strong-willed, and slightly intimidating. And Peggy,” he said softly, “You are still the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen.” Peggy looked directly into Steve’s eyes and saw that he was in earnest. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. When they broke apart, Steve added, “You know, I’m still waiting for that dance.” Peggy began to laugh and cry at once.

“And I,” she said, standing up and holding out her hand for his, “I have not yet found the right partner.”

Turning on a slow tune, Peggy showed Steve where to put his hands; one on her waist, and the other holding hers. She led him for a few bars of music before he got the hang of it and they waltzed around the parlor. Steve gazed at Peggy and saw her face light up as she smiled. He felt aglow with happiness for the first time since he’d awoken from suspended animation a few weeks before. Dancing in this room with Peggy seemed totally normal but at the same time utterly surreal, as if at any moment he would wake to find himself back at SHIELD headquarters. Yet it was real and absolutely perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my father and brother for going to see all of the Marvel movies with me and for reading and enjoying this little piece of fiction.
> 
> Thanks to Stan Lee and the people at Marvel for creating all of these heroes and heroines, and thanks to the MCU for giving us the first superhero film that was shot basically as a war movie (Captain America: the First Avenger).
> 
> I did, however, think there was much to be desired in the reunion scene in Captain America: the Winter Soldier, and so decided to post this little tale. It is my thoughts about how the REAL reunion between Steve and Peggy went down. Hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
